Council tax bands in Bridgend
Band D council tax in the Bridgend (Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) area is £2,477.99 a year for 2026/27 — £194.91 above the Wales average of £2,283.08, and number 19 of 22 among Welsh billing authorities (1 = cheapest). Every band from A to I is below, with what a one-band drop would save.
Wales has nine bands, A to I, based on what each home would have sold for on 1 April 2003 (Council Tax (Valuation Bands) (Wales) Order 2003). The band figures below are the ones published by the Welsh Government for Bridgend, not estimates.
Bridgend council tax by band, 2026/27
| Band | Home value on 1 April 2003 | Per year | Per month (10 instalments) | One-band drop saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band A | up to £44,000 | £1,651.99 | £165.20 | — |
| Band B | £44,001 – £65,000 | £1,927.33 | £192.73 | £275.33 a year |
| Band C | £65,001 – £91,000 | £2,202.66 | £220.27 | £275.33 a year |
| Band D | £91,001 – £123,000 | £2,477.99 | £247.80 | £275.33 a year |
| Band E | £123,001 – £162,000 | £3,028.66 | £302.87 | £550.67 a year |
| Band F | £162,001 – £223,000 | £3,579.32 | £357.93 | £550.66 a year |
| Band G | £223,001 – £324,000 | £4,129.98 | £413.00 | £550.66 a year |
| Band H | £324,001 – £424,000 | £4,955.98 | £495.60 | £826.00 a year |
| Band I | over £424,000 | £5,781.98 | £578.20 | £826.00 a year |
Source: Council tax levels by billing authority and band (StatsWales), Welsh Government (Llywodraeth Cymru), published 24 March 2026. Figures are the average Band D for the billing authority’s area including the county or county borough council, police and community council elements, for two adults with no discounts. Bands A–I are the figures StatsWales publishes for each authority; they follow the ratios in the Council Tax (Valuation Bands) (Wales) Order 2003. Monthly figures assume the usual 10 instalments; you can ask your council to spread the bill over 12 (gov.uk). 2003 value ranges are from Council Tax (Valuation Bands) (Wales) Order 2003 (gov.uk/council-tax-bands).
In Bridgend, one band down is £275.33 a year from Band D.
One ninth of the Band D charge in Bridgend is £275.33. The steps down to Band A are worth one ninth each (Band D to C, C to B, B to A); Band E to D, F to E and G to F are two ninths each; and Band H to G and Band I to H are three ninths. A successful challenge is backdated to the day you became liable at the address (capped at six years before the band is changed, and never earlier than 1 April 2005), so the refund is the annual saving multiplied by up to six years, at each year’s rate.
- Band B → Band A£275.33 a year
- Band C → Band B£275.33 a year
- Band D → Band C£275.33 a year
- Band E → Band D (2 ninths)£550.67 a year
- Band F → Band E (2 ninths)£550.66 a year
- Band G → Band F (2 ninths)£550.66 a year
- Band H → Band G (3 ninths)£826.00 a year
- Band I → Band H (3 ninths)£826.00 a year
Based on 2003 values, nine bands since 2005
The Valuation Office Agency banded every home in Wales on what it would have sold for on 1 April 2003, when Wales revalued and added Band I; there has been no revaluation since (gov.uk/council-tax-bands). Many bands were set from the street without an inspection. If similar homes on your street in Bridgend sit in a lower band, or your home was worth less than the band threshold in 2003, the band may be wrong.
Challenging is free on GOV.UK. The VOA can move a band up as well as down, so run both checks before you ask.
Run the free checkBridgend is £137.22 a year above the South Wales police area average.
Band D in the Bridgend area is £2,477.99. The mean across the 7 councils in the South Wales police area is £2,340.77, and the Wales average is £2,283.08. Bridgend ranks 5 of 7 in the South Wales police area and 19 of 22 across Wales (1 = cheapest). A band is a national judgement about your home’s 2003 value, not about what your council charges — but it decides which multiple of that £2,477.99 you pay.
| Band D, 2026/27 | Per year | Difference from Bridgend |
|---|---|---|
| Bridgend | £2,477.99 | — |
| the South Wales police area average (7 councils) | £2,340.77 | −£137.22 |
| Wales average | £2,283.08 | −£194.91 |
Police force area and Wales averages are the unweighted mean of the billing authority Band D figures in the source table, so they are not population-weighted; the Wales average published by the Welsh Government is £2,283.08.
Other councils in the South Wales police area
The South Wales police precept is part of every bill in these councils, so they are the closest like-for-like comparison with Bridgend.
- CardiffBand D £2,013.18
- Merthyr TydfilBand D £2,593.60
- Neath Port TalbotBand D £2,541.39
- Rhondda Cynon TafBand D £2,289.43
- SwanseaBand D £2,238.29
- Vale of GlamorganBand D £2,231.54
Neighbouring police force areas
- Blaenau GwentBand D £2,531.26
- CaerphillyBand D £2,082.88
- CarmarthenshireBand D £2,351.20
- CeredigionBand D £2,419.45
- MonmouthshireBand D £2,416.50
- NewportBand D £2,088.48
- PembrokeshireBand D £2,166.15
- PowysBand D £2,351.72
- TorfaenBand D £2,155.68
All 22 Welsh councils · Cheapest and most expensive councils
Challenging a band in Bridgend
- Is my council tax band too high?
The two checks to run before you go near the VOA — neighbours on your street, and what your home was worth at the valuation date.
- How to challenge your council tax band
Proposal or band review, the six-month rule, the evidence the VOA accepts and what happens after you submit.
- How far back a refund goes
A lower band is backdated to the day you became liable — how the refund is worked out and who actually pays it.
- Appealing to the Valuation Tribunal
If the VOA says no: the three-month window in England, four in Wales, the forms and how the hearing runs.
Check it free before you challenge in Bridgend.
The free checker compares your home with similar homes in your postcode (bands from the VOA list, size and age from the EPC register) and back-casts your value to 1 April 2003. Both tests have to point lower before it is worth challenging — the VOA can move a band up as well as down, and it can re-band neighbours too.
- ✓Challenging on GOV.UK is free; the VOA never charges
- ✓A successful challenge is backdated to the day you became liable at the address, but in Wales it can never reach back more than six years before the day the band is changed (Council Tax (Alteration of Lists and Appeals) Regulations 1993, regulation 14(6)(b)), and never earlier than 1 April 2005, when the Welsh list was compiled.
- ✓The £29 pack builds the comparables, letter and form text the VOA expects
Free · no account
Council tax band checker
Two checks, one honest verdict. Takes about two minutes.
Check my band — freeOr read about the £29 challenge pack.
Council tax in Bridgend: questions people ask
How much is council tax in Bridgend for 2026/27?
The average Band D council tax in the Bridgend area for 2026/27 is £2,477.99 a year, according to the Welsh Government's StatsWales dataset published 24 March 2026. That is £194.91 above the Wales average of £2,283.08. Band A is £1,651.99 and Band I is £5,781.98.
Is council tax in Bridgend higher than nearby?
Band D in Bridgend is £2,477.99 for 2026/27, against a mean of £2,340.77 across the 7 councils in the South Wales police area — £137.22 more. Within the South Wales police area it ranks 5 of 7, and across Wales 19 of 22 (1 = cheapest). The charge is set by the council; the band is set by the VOA, and only the band is something you can challenge.
How much would I save if my Bridgend band was lowered?
Dropping from Band D to Band C in Bridgend saves £275.33 a year on the 2026/27 figures; each band step is worth between £275.33 (B to A) and £826.00 (I to H). A successful challenge is also backdated to the date you became liable for council tax at the address — but in Wales backdating is capped at six years before the band is changed (and can never reach past 1 April 2005), so the refund can cover up to six years.
Why is my Bridgend bill different from these figures?
These are the average for the whole Bridgend billing area for two adults with no discounts, including the county or county borough council, the police and an averaged community council element. Community council precepts differ from one community to the next, and the single-person discount (25%), disability reduction and the Council Tax Reduction Scheme all change what you actually pay. Your bill is the definitive figure.
Why does Bridgend have a Band I when England stops at Band H?
Wales revalued every home in 2003 and, from 1 April 2005, moved to nine bands under the Council Tax (Valuation Bands) (Wales) Order 2003. Band I covers homes worth more than £424,000 on 1 April 2003 and is charged at 21/9 of Band D — £5,781.98 in Bridgend for 2026/27. England still uses eight bands on 1 April 1991 values.
Can my band go up if I challenge it?
Yes. The VOA reviews the evidence and can move a band in either direction, and it can re-band neighbouring homes it looks at. In 2023-24, 27% of resolved challenges ended in a lower band and under 1% in a higher one (VOA, Council Tax challenges and changes 2023-24 (published March 2024)). Challenging is free on GOV.UK; if you have been the taxpayer for under six months you have a formal right of proposal with an appeal to the Valuation Tribunal for Wales.
CourtPilot is independent and not affiliated with the Valuation Office Agency, HMRC, MHCLG, the Welsh Government or any council. Council tax levels are for 2026/27 and are published by the Welsh Government on StatsWales; check your own bill for the exact amount, which can differ by community and by discount. This is information, not legal or financial advice. Read the full guide to challenging a band.